Happy New Year 2010

Happy New Year! I'm hopeful about the coming year. There is definitely a sense of "hope and change" going on both in society and in my personal life. From 2000-2009 there were times that I was hopeless and pessimistic. That's not the way it's going to be going forward. I'm making it my resolution to have a good life from now on.

The Physics of Space Battles - Space battle - Gizmodo

The Physics of Space Battles - Space battle - Gizmodo

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RealClimate vs. SuperFreaks

Is geo-engineering a viable solution to global warming? Probably not

RealClimate: Why Levitt and Dubner like geo-engineering and why they are wrong

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Einstein's Legacy: Inside the Quest for Gravity Waves

As Einstein predicted in 1912, gravity waves are emitted by massive bodies in space that don't necessarily leave visual evidence of their existence, such as black holes. Directly observing gravity waves, in a sense, would make these invisible phenomena visible.

LINK

Ardipithecus ramidus

Sugar: The Bittter Truth

The Book of Life: The Akashic Records

It's catchy tune anyway...

The Space Elevator

Probably an even bigger obstacle than the cable is the Solar power requirement. Given the extremes the elevator will have to travel through, it seems unlikely that it could function just on solar power. Get real already.

The Necessity of Faith - Science and the Sacred

The Necessity of Faith - Science and the Sacred

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Memristor minds: The future of artificial intelligence - tech - 08 July 2009 - New Scientist

Memristor minds: The future of artificial intelligence - tech - 08 July 2009 - New Scientist

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The Sputnik Moment

Linux: It doesn't get any faster - Computerworld Blogs

Linux: It doesn't get any faster - Computerworld Blogs

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Why Honey's as Healthy as Spinach | Food & Drink | Lifestyle | Mainstreet

Why Honey's as Healthy as Spinach | Food & Drink | Lifestyle | Mainstreet

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The Student Loan Scam

Dark Energy and Surfing Spacetime : Discovery Space

Dark Energy and Surfing Spacetime : Discovery Space

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Find a place to stay

http://www.airbnb.com/

This is a very cool start up that allows everyday people to post private guest accommodations for travelers. Brilliant!

Ray Kurzweil Explains the Singularity

News From Mars

Newsweek article on the Singularity

There's an interesting article on Newsweek about Ray Kurzweil titled "I, Robot"

Kurzweil believes computer intelligence is advancing so rapidly that in a couple of decades, machines will be as intelligent as humans. Soon after that they will surpass humans and start creating even smarter technology. By the middle of this century, the only way for us to keep up will be to merge with the machines so that their superior intelligence can boost our weak little brains and beef up our pitiful, illness-prone bodies. Some of Kurzweil's fellow futurists believe these superhuman computers will want nothing to do with us—that we will become either their pets or, worse yet, their food. Always an optimist, Kurzweil takes a more upbeat view. He swears these superhuman computers will love us, and honor us, since we'll be their ancestors. He also thinks we'll be able to embed our consciousness into silicon, which means we can live on, inside machines, forever and ever, amen.

For one it’s an insult to call our brains weak, considering they run an estimated 20 Peta flops and are smartest machines we know of. The current best supercomputer only runs at about 1 Peta flop and we still don't have the kind of software needed to fully realize it’s potential.

The emergence of artificial intelligence that is indistinguishable from human intelligence does seem plausible. Considering the extreme difficulty of interfacing a living organism with silicon, I doubt that we'll become a cybernetic race anytime soon. Kurzweil's dream of embedding his consciousness into silicon seems highly unlikely to me.

Edit: I think its important to keep an open-mind regarding any future technology. People once laughed at the idea of flying or landing on the Moon.

Wolfram Alpha

I don't know exactly how it works but it can do some really cool things. For one it can tell you what the weather was like (In Los Angelas) on Jessica Alba's 18th birthday.